Francis Santiago Levy van Gigch

1933 - 2013  (79 years)

• Name	Francis Santiago Levy van Gigch  [1, 2]
  Birth	21 Aug 1933	Buenos Aires, Argentina   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	2 Apr 2013	Delray Beach, Florida   [3]
  Person ID	I9198	Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others
  Last Modified	10 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	Andres Jacques Levy,   b. 24 Dec 1899, Hagenau, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France d. 21 Dec 1980, Englewood, Arapahoe, Colorado (Age 80 years)
  Mother	Andree van Gigch,   b. 21 Feb 1904, The Hague, Netherlands d. 19 Feb 1965, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Age 60 years)
  Family ID	F13706	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jane Elizabeth White,   b. 31 Jan 1941, Lansing, Ingham, Michigan (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	Bef 19 Feb 1961	St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Williamston, Ingham, Michigan   [4]
  Children	1. (Private)   2. (Private)   3. (Private)
  Family ID	F3944	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	28 Nov 2020

  
  

• Notes

  An extensive European ancestry for him can be viewed on geni.com, going back to at least the 1300s. We haven't vetted it, but random samplings suggest that its compilers have been reasonably conscientious. If these lines are correct, one of his more interesting ancestors was Samuel Oppenheimer (1630-1703), a banker to and diplomat for multiple Holy Roman Emperors, most particularly Leopold I, to whom he loaned large amounts of money to finance the Great Turkish War (1683-99). Samuel Oppenheimer was also a collector of antique Hebrew manuscripts, many of which are now at the Bodleian. Among his descendants is Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). From Francis van Gigsch's obituary in the Washington Post (citation details below): Dr. van Gigch came to Washington in 1963 as an economist with the Organization for American States. He joined the World Bank in 1968 and was a manager in the West Africa region before leading the Latin American agricultural sector. He was the World Bank’s country manager in Bangladesh from 1986 to 1989. He retired in 1990. Francis Santiago van Gigch was born in Buenos Aires and graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. He received master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics from Michigan State University in 1960 and 1968, respectively. Dr. van Gigch lived in Fairfax County before retiring to Savannah, Ga., and later to Delray Beach. He won many senior-level tennis championships. From his obituary in the Palm Beach Post: His last post was as Chief of Mission of the Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh with the rank of Ambassador. After retirement, he lived fifteen years in Savannah, Georgia where he became the diocesan representative to the Episcopal Relief and Development Agency. He also played USTA tennis at the local, state, regional and national level. On the tennis court, he was known as both a keen competitor and true gentleman. After moving to Florida he competed briefly until illness prevented his playing. He also tutored students in French and Spanish at "Paul's Place," an after-school program for at-risk students.

  
  

• Sources

  [S1079] Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving at Miami, Florida, records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, The National Archives, Washington, D.C. [S4192] Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014, on ancestry.com. [S5065] "Francis van Gigch, World Bank official," The Washington Post, 16 Apr 2013. [S5091] "Miss Jane E. White Becomes Bride of Buenos Aires Man." Lansing State Journal, 19 Feb 1961, p. 31.